Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Waitakere and Gizo

For one person, living is cheaper in Waitakere: $1,758 a month against $2,164 in Gizo, rent and utilities included – about $4,900 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Gizo outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

87

Cost of Living Index in Waitakere
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Waitakere Living Index
105

Cost of Living Index in Gizo
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Gizo Living Index

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Waitakere

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$1,758

/mo nomad

Gizo

🇸🇧 Solomon Islands

$2,164

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Waitakere and in Gizo

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Waitakere and in Gizo actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,758 in Waitakere versus $2,164 in Gizo.

Waitakere $1,758
Gizo $2,164

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,769 in Waitakere versus $3,051 in Gizo.

Waitakere $2,769
Gizo $3,051

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,779 in Waitakere versus $3,938 in Gizo.

Waitakere $3,779
Gizo $3,938

Living in Waitakere costs roughly 19% less than in Gizo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Waitakere 30% above, Gizo 60% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.78 NZ$20.84

$3.01 SBD 24.25

291.36%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$73.0 NZ$129

$54.7 SBD 441

33.27%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.43 NZ$14.91

$15.57 SBD 126

-45.86%

Cappuccino

$3.32 NZ$5.88

$2.85 SBD 22.95

16.49%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.29 NZ$4.04

$1.26 SBD 10.13

81.75%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.42 NZ$4.27

$1.21 SBD 9.79

100.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.21 NZ$10.98

$2.47 SBD 19.88

151.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.55 NZ$9.82

$2.41 SBD 19.41

130.29%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.48 NZ$2.61

$3.27 SBD 26.35

-54.74%

White Bread (500g)

$1.29 NZ$2.28

$1.39 SBD 11.19

-7.19%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.98 NZ$3.50

$1.40 SBD 11.30

41.43%

Eggs

$5.20 NZ$9.19

$7.24 SBD 58.4

-28.18%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$5.46 NZ$9.66

$8.47 SBD 68.3

-35.54%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.48 NZ$13.23

$6.20 SBD 50.0

20.65%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.77 NZ$20.81

$8.41 SBD 67.8

39.95%

Apples (1kg)

$2.55 NZ$4.52

$6.88 SBD 55.5

-62.94%

Banana (1kg)

$2.20 NZ$3.89

$6.34 SBD 51.1

-65.30%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.21 NZ$5.68

$6.06 SBD 48.84

-47.03%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.26 NZ$11.07

$3.02 SBD 24.32

107.28%

Potato (1kg)

$1.97 NZ$3.49

$3.07 SBD 24.74

-35.83%

Onion (1kg)

$1.35 NZ$2.39

$2.41 SBD 19.45

-43.98%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.52 NZ$4.46

$2.53 SBD 20.39

-0.40%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.94 NZ$1.67

$1.34 SBD 10.79

-29.85%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$24.90 NZ$44.04

$4.25 SBD 34.29

485.88%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.63 NZ$18.80

$12.36 SBD 99.6

-14.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.02 NZ$7.11

$1.83 SBD 14.77

119.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.01 NZ$7.08

$2.19 SBD 17.66

83.11%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.76 NZ$3.12

$0.39 SBD 3.11

351.28%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$80.2 NZ$142

$31.36 SBD 253

155.68%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.56 NZ$6.30

$1.25 SBD 10.09

184.80%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.00 NZ$3.54

$2.43 SBD 19.56

-17.70%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$32.06 NZ$56.7

$12.52 SBD 101

156.07%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.63 NZ$2.89

$1.75 SBD 14.10

-6.86%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$26.1K NZ$46.1K

$20.7K SBD 166.9K

25.99%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$23.0K NZ$40.7K

$21.9K SBD 176.9K

4.95%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$57.2 NZ$101

$750 SBD 6,048

-92.38%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$36.71 NZ$64.9

$13.42 SBD 108

173.55%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.7 NZ$95.0

$123 SBD 989

-56.23%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.56 NZ$73.5

$18.49 SBD 149

124.77%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.14 SBD 49.54

Cinema Ticket

$13.65 NZ$24.14

$4.20 SBD 33.87

225.00%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$676 NZ$1,196

$126 SBD 1,014

437.98%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.3K NZ$39.4K

$1,242 SBD 10.0K

1695.28%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.2 NZ$110

$25.29 SBD 204

145.75%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.26 NZ$67.7

$94.4 SBD 761

-59.45%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$95.4 NZ$169

$99.8 SBD 804

-4.43%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$106 NZ$187

$90.6 SBD 730

16.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$836 NZ$1,479

$599 SBD 4,833

39.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$790 NZ$1,397

$580 SBD 4,678

36.13%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,657 NZ$2,930

$630 SBD 5,081

162.88%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,479 NZ$2,615

$1,217 SBD 9,809

21.54%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,449 NZ$7,868

$85.9K SBD 692.3K

-94.82%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,591 NZ$6,350

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$389 SBD 3,140

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.83

16.33

-58.18%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Waitakere: October 13, 2026

Last update for Gizo: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Waitakere

$790 44.9%

Gizo

$580 26.8% 26.5% $210

Groceries & Markets

Waitakere

$295 16.8%

Gizo

$353 16.3% 19.7% $58

Eating Out

Waitakere

$220 12.5%

Gizo

$132 6.1% 40.1% $88

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Waitakere

$148 8.4%

Gizo

$886 41% 501% $739

Clothing & Footwear

Waitakere

$136 7.7%

Gizo

$139 6.5% 2.8% $3.8

Getting Around

Waitakere

$101 5.7%

Gizo

$46 2.1% 54.1% $55

Sport & Entertainment

Waitakere

$69 3.9%

Gizo

$27 1.2% 60.9% $42

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $836 in Waitakere and $599 in Gizo. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $73.0 in Waitakere vs $55.0 in Gizo. Groceries flip the comparison at $295 vs $353, with Waitakere cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇳🇿 Waitakere

🇸🇧 Gizo

🕒 Local time

10:02 10:02 AM

08:02 8:02 AM

2 h behind Waitakere

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,830

7,177

💱 Currency

New Zealand Dollar NZD $

Solomon Islands Dollar SBD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 NZD = 0.565 USD

1 NZD = 0.503 EUR

1 SBD = 0.124 USD

1 SBD = 0.11 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

SBD, USD, EUR to NZD – New Zealand Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇳🇿 New Zealand Dollar ($)

New Zealand Dollar exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 1.77 NZD (1 NZD = 0.565 USD). 1 EUR = 1.99 NZD (1 NZD = 0.503 EUR).

Solomon Islands Dollar exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 8.06 SBD (1 SBD = 0.124 USD). 1 EUR = 9.06 SBD (1 SBD = 0.11 EUR).

USD to NZD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Waitakere Gizo 3,670 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Waitakere
Gizo

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Waitakere vs Gizo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Waitakere wins on cost – living expenses run 23% lower than in Gizo. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Waitakere the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You'd need roughly $2,637 in Waitakere and $3,246 in Gizo to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $836 in Waitakere versus $599 in Gizo. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 20% higher in Gizo. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Waitakere – a meal for two runs $73.0 versus $55.0 in Gizo. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,758 in Waitakere versus $2,164 in Gizo, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Waitakere but tight or insufficient in Gizo. The gap between the two cities makes Waitakere the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Waitakere and Gizo are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Waitakere gentler on the wallet – expenses run 23% less than in Gizo. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.